Free Low Carb for the Holidays by Sharon Wertz Page A

and has less than 2 grams of carb per serving. As with any
shirataki noodle, be sure to rinse it thoroughly, since the
solution they pack it in has a distinctly fishy smell that
disappears when well rinsed under running water. To prevent
watering down sauces, put it in the microwave for 2 minutes before
adding it to your recipes. This will evaporate out excess
water.
     
    For thickening sauces and gravies, I prefer
glucomannan (also called konjac) powder. It is the powder that
shirataki noodles are made from. It is available online or at some
health food stores. Use it like you would use flour or cornstarch
for thickening sauces, (but it just takes a tiny bit!) I keep a
salt shaker by the stove and shake a tiny bit into sauces and
gravies to thicken them.
     
    Wheat protein isolate 5000 is a flour substitute. It
is wheat flour that has had the carbohydrate and fat removed,
leaving only the protein. It is a key ingredient in home made low
carb pasta.
     
    Some recipes call for low carb breadcrumbs. If you
don’t make your own bread, use a low carb tortilla. Run it in a
blender or food processor until it is cut into fine crumbs.
     
    Avocado Oil has all the health benefits of olive oil,
but has a milder taste and a very high smoke point for frying. It
is much lower than canola oil in Omega 6 fatty acids.
     
     For pie crust, I make my own but if you want a
mix, , I like the Dixie Diner Press and Bake Pie Crust mix from
NETRITION.COM. It is easy to make and tastes pretty much like real
pie crust.
     
    Waldon Farms makes several very good salad dressings.
In particular, their Honey Mustard, Sesame Ginger and Asian
dressings are excellent. They are available in the diet foods
section of many supermarkets, as well as online. Sprouts also
carries them.
     
    Torani and DaVinci both make sugar free syrups in
many different flavors. They are available online, or at such
stores as Smart and Final, Cost Plus, and Costco. In addition to
flavoring beverages, the caramel syrup adds a “brown sugar” flavor
to recipes. The fruit flavors are great for flavoring muffins and
desserts.
      
    Carbmaster yogurt is 4g carbs per container. It is a
Kroger house brand.
     
    I prefer Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder over
other types because it gives an intense chocolate flavor with less
cocoa, saving on carbs.
     
    Campbell's Chicken and Mushroom Soup is a low carb
substitute for gravy or white sauce. It is lower in carbs than
regular mushroom soup or cream of chicken soup. A whole can is 12g
carbs compared to 23g carbs in the others. In a recipe that serves
4 it adds 3g carbs per serving.
     
    For milk substitutes, I use a mixture of half cream
and half water, or unsweetened almond milk. I am allergic to
coconut, so I don’t use coconut milk or flour in my recipes. You
could also use soymilk if you prefer. If you live in an area where
you can get Hood Calorie Countdown milk, that is also good, but it
is not available in Arizona.
     
    EAS Whey Protein Powder is my favorite because it is
the lowest in carbs that I have found, and it has a good flavor. I
use both the chocolate and vanilla powder. It is especially useful
in baked goods made with Carbquik because they tend to be crumbly
without the protein powder. It improves the texture of the finished
baked goods.

    Ragu Alfredo Sauce is only 2g carbs per serving, and
they have a new Four Cheese Sauce that is also only 2g carbs per
serving. Both are quite good.
     
    LaNouba makes an excellent sugar free marshmallow
that can be used like regular marshmallows. They are pretty much
carb free (0.01g carbs per large marshmallow) and are available
from Netrition.com
     
    If you love Nutella, there is an excellent low carb
version available from Netrition.com. Try GO LO Sugar Free Dark
Hazelnut Spread.
     

HOLIDAY STAPLES
It just wouldn’t be the holidays without
these!

Cranberry sauce
     
    3 cups whole cranberries
    1 cup water
    Artificial sweetener equivalent to 1 cup sugar (I use
liquid